I’m a firm believer in synchronicity; that the things we need and want are given to us by the universe, all we have to be is open to them. I’ve been doing a lot of spiritual work lately, as I’ve mentioned here over the past few weeks. Touching base with my beliefs as they stand right now and myself at this transitional point in my journey. Yeah, that phase is still happening, it’s a slow process and one that has left me reaching for comfort and grounding to help anchor myself during the confusion of everything that is going on around me.

Last night I made a wish list for things I wanted to get for myself; a few creative bits and the deep rooted feeling that I needed to get a new journal for my recipes and personal spell and spiritual work. I haven’t kept a Book of Shadows (BoS) or something similar in quite a while as I found myself progressively unsatisfied with them and the necessity I seem to cultivate to fill it with all the information I have collected whether I use it or not, just in case.

I managed to break that habit by allowing myself just a small notebook to jot down my recipes and a few key words about the herbs and crystals I use. It had been working really well for me but I wanted something a little more.

As often happens with me I was walking through town after a writing session at a local coffee shop when I felt that familiar pull to go into a particular store. I always recognise it but I never know what it’s going to lead me to. First it took me to the craft items on my wish list in a store that doesn’t usually stock a range of craft materials and then to a journal that I instantly knew was mine. In fact as I picked it up I had a small vocal outburst that may or may not have creeped out a woman who was coming around into the aisle at the time…

I’ve never heard of the German brand Bindewerk before but as soon as I found this book I had to have it as my new BoS style journal. It has this beautiful wood veneer cover.

An indentation built into the cover and pages for the rounded elastic closure to sit snugly without ruining anything.

Plain, ivory paper that I’ll have to experiment with as far as pens are concerned as I’m not sure what I’ll be able to use with it without bleeding or heavy show through. Plain pages are a must for me as I love to add pictures, illustrations etc along with my writing to create something artistic, interesting and as unique as my practice.

It also has a softer spine so the book can be opened flat which is also a big necessity for me as I like to be able to open it to a relevant page to work from or on. Best of all the journal was very affordable, around half the RRP.

I feel very blessed for the happy ‘coincidences’ of finding the things I needed today, both artistically speaking and spiritually. It can be really easy to forget that the Universe/God/Goddess/WhateverYouBelieveIn is there to help us in our journey.

My card this week was Confusion. It told me to keep going through the fog of not knowing with faith in my heart as in time, as slow as the process is, I will resurface and see the definitive way forward. In the meantime, while blind to the circumstances surrounding me, what I need will be provided. That has definitely been true today.

And the best thing about finishing a journal, other than getting to enjoy and look back on the pages created:

Is getting to make and start a new one:

I made something different this time, it’s blue/pink/purple in colour with a base layer of old book pages so the writing peeks through the lighter areas of acryllic paint that I used for the cover.

Rather than paper pages though I wanted something a little different and more robust, opting for cereal boxes to create the signatures as I really want to play around more with mixed media in this journal. I have another that’s similar to the old one that’s being filled as well, specifically working with a book of writing and journaling prompts.

Bound with the same purple wool that I used for the tie closure it’s ready to be filled and I’m itching to get into that new journal loving. If the pages are less personal than the last journal, which given the other one I’m working on alongside it which is very personal it probably will be, I’ll try to share some of the pages on here as well. If nothing else it will show that art can be made on most any surface in a journal.

An art journal doesn’t have to be fancy, branded or expensive. In fact, in my opinion, often the best ones are homemade. I know I always find it easier to just let rip and experiment on a journal I have made with different and interesting materials. There’s not as much pressure there to make it perfect and beautiful. Much like the journal itself, the pages can just be.

It came to my attention this week that I needed a new recipe book. Unfortunately, as is often the case with me I couldn’t settle on something I liked and wanted to use for it and that wasn’t going to cost me much. I toyed with the idea of getting a themed smashbook to use, I even came across a mini journal food themed smash kit bit I didn’t want to pay nearly £20 for it or order it from the US and wait god knows how long for it to arrive.

After much deliberation and several gestures that indicated I was giving up on my search for something pre-made that fit the bill I did the only thing any respectable craftswoman could do…

… I raided my recycling, scraps, embellishments and craft boxes and decided to make my own one out of old cardboard and papers I had stuffed in my numerous craft drawers along with the binder rings and dark brown bow from my old (also handmade) recipe folder which was more of a cover holding a load of punched index cards.

I really wanted something that was more of a book, with pretty papers that I could make into a unique scrapbook style recipe book that would be both practical and pretty, especially now that my eldest is getting into cooking and reading my recipes for me when we use them.

I used a selection of food and floral/vintage themed papers I had in my paper stash along with scraps of other thin cards and papers, washi tapes, some old packaging for the covers and cereal boxes for the dividers.

I also made a pocket in the back cover and a punched acetate envelope for some lined pads and memo spots.

All in all I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’ll probably have to use some stronger glue to stick the washi tape down as the particular one I decided to use isn’t all that sticky compared to some that I have. Now I just have to put my recipes in it!